Puzzlebox Orbit review

Category: R/C – remote controlled, App Toys – toys which utilise the power of a smartphone or similar device.Expect to pay: Around £170For: Bigger kidsWill suit: See Above

Using the power of the human mind to control a machine or robot of some kind might sound like the stuff of science fiction and, well, that’s because it is.

More recently it’s been a key part of the plot in the Guillermo Del Toro film Pacific Rim.

In the flick, saving planet earth from the Kaiju monsters who’ve risen from beneath the sea is down to the giant machines called Jaegers, massive robots controlled by the brains of their pilots.

Well, this dandy technology is also science FACT, and now it’s been integrated into a nifty new toy.

The new Puzzlebox Orbit plaything can be made to hover, spin and pitch forward all by the power of your own mind (together with an app on your smartphone and headset, of course).

Stick on the Nerosky headpiece and, using two sensors it’ll pick up electrical energy from your grey matter and turn it into a Bluetooth signal that’s sent to your handset. This signal is then translated into infra-red and bounces a signal over to the flying machine to take-off, and take-off it does, every time.

Whether you decide to use your power of attention to make this happen (reciting the alphabet backwards, remember the names of the Spice Girls) or by meditating (eyes shut and thinking of nothing, easier for some than others) you’ll be impressed when it does leave the deck.

It might feel like a one trick pony at present but you’ll also get access to over 100 smartphone apps to further utilise the headset and get your brain in peak condition so you, like us, can recite Pi well into double digits.

About Peter Jenkinson

Toyologist Pete Jenkinson regularly writes about toys in national newspapers like The Sun and The Mail. This super-dad has an unmatched passion and dedication for trying and testing the latest, coolest and most interesting offerings from the world of toys.